''Women Aren't Angels'' is a 1941 play by the British writer

Vernon Sylvaine Vernon Sylvaine (1896–1957) was a British playwright and screenwriter. He is known for writing several popular stage farces. He began working in film in 1937 when his stage hit '' Aren't Men Beasts!'' was turned into a film of the same title ...

and featured

Robertson Hare John Robertson Hare, OBE (17 December 1891 – 25 January 1979) was an English actor, who came to fame in the Aldwych farces. He is remembered by more recent audiences for his performances as the Archdeacon in the popular BBC sitcom, ''All Gas ...

Alfred Drayton Alfred Drayton (1 November 1881 – 26 April 1949) was a British stage and film actor. Drayton worked in a brewery when he was 18 but having a good deal of amateur dramatics experience decided to go on stage. His first appearance on stage was ''T ...

and

Judy Kelly Julie Aileen Kelly (1 November 1913 – 22 October 1991), known professionally as Judy Kelly, was an Australian-born British actress. She arrived in Britain in 1932 after winning a competition organised by the Australian British Empire Films, wh ...

in its original cast. It ran at the Strand Theatre in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for only 65 performances, considerably shorter than other Sylvaine farces featuring Hare and Drayton during the decade. On

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

it was known as ''All Men Are Alike''.

Synopsis

The proprietors of a

music shop A music store or musical instrument store is a retail business that sells musical instruments and related equipment and accessories. Some music stores sell additional services, such as music lessons, music instrument or equipment rental, or re ...

try to conceal the presence of a young woman at one of their homes from their domineering wives. They also become involved in a German espionage plot while serving with the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

Film adaptation

In 1943 the play was turned into a film, directed by

Lawrence Huntington Lawrence Huntington (1900–1968) was a UK, British film director, screenwriter and film producer, producer. Huntington was born in London on 9 March 1900, he directed more than thirty films following his debut feature ''After Many Years'' (1930). ...

Welwyn Studios Welwyn Studios was a British film studio located at Broadwater Road, Welwyn Garden City, in Hertfordshire. The facility operated between 1928 and 1950. The studios were first constructed by British Instructional Films, and converted to make s ...

with both Hare and Drayton reprising their roles. It was noted as being one of the more successful British films at the box office that year.Murphy p.238

References

Bibliography

* Bordman, Gerrald. American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1930-1969''. Oxford University Press, 1996. * Murphy, Robert. ''Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48''. Routledge, 1992. * Wearing, J.P. ''The London Stage 1940-1949: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. 1941 plays British plays adapted into films Plays by Vernon Sylvaine Plays set in England Comedy plays West End plays {{1940s-play-stub